LIfe is like-painting & renewal...

Thursday, June 09, 2011

I've now 'officially' been on summer break 1 week and in that week I've 'accomplished much around my house-besides the 3 hour bush trimming, I've managed to undertake a 'bedroom makeover' mode that will carry me well into next week...as I reflect on this process, I liken it to life experiences...
1) Sometimes we look in the mirror and see ourselves & think-yeah, I could use a little 'sprucing' up, but what for???...
2) When I think about all the work involved in 'fixing' my home OR myself, it seems daunting & unattainable, BUT, when I begin to STOP thinking and starting DOING, it's actually not that bad....
3) You know when you paint you have to fill the nail holes, 'kill the stains' and take take to prepare the surface, but when we want to make over ourselves, we often skip the prep part, only to wonder why our 'finished' appearance is rough around the edges & not 'sticking' like we'd like???
4) Sometimes when painting we need extension brushes & ladders to reach those hard to get to places-sometimes with ourselves, it's often hard to even see those places, let alone reach to those new heights, but the reward is in seeing a well-done ceiling & knowing it took work to get there...
5) Brushing or spraying-either one can achieve good results in a finished product, so why do we always want to know how other people are achieving their goals? There's more than one way to get healthy, just like there's more than one way to get the job done when it comes to home 'makeovers'...
6) When I paint, I'm often on my hands and knees, especially when doing the trim-my least favorite part of the job-I'm always worried about staying on the trim and not getting paint on the walls or carpet and did I get enough paint to cover or am I going to have drips??? With my life journey, sometimes I gotta get down and do the tough stuff and follow those stringent guidelines if I want the results, but the good news is, you don't have to live on your hands & knees, just pace it out...
7) Painting & drying take time-you can't rush one coat to immediately put on another, but sometimes I want to 'rush' through my set of exercises or cardio and then be off to another task without giving my body time to refuel & cool & reset
8) Choosing paint color can be very time-consuming & exhausting with the vast choices available, let alone the different 'finishes' you have like satin, flat, semi-gloss, eggshell, etc. Food choices & exercises can be just as confusing sometimes-that's why I like Spark-this site outlines for you what you can do and when, but the really sweet thing is-just 'commit & do it'...as for my paint 'choices'...I went and got the $1 'oops' paint that other customers decided for one reason or another was just not their thing-what a great 'find' for me!
9) the clean up of painting was something I used to hate and put off-in fact, I'd rather throw away the brushes and rollers than clean them, but this time, not so much-I found it almost therapeutic by the time I was done rolling-it gave my arms & legs a much needed break and as I watched the diluted paint swirl down the drain, I thought about how sometimes I need to take the time to fully 'clean up' my life and let things go that aren't necessary-purge and rid myself of things & feelings that are holding me back...
10) Finally, the 'reveal' time-the rooms are freshly painted, the carpets steam cleaned, curtains are pressed, and pictures hung with care-little touches here and there that are unique and give a glimpse into the lives of those living there...just like with redecorating, we each have our uniqueness that we add to the world, we are different shapes & sizes & colors and personalities and together, we are the tapestry of this thing we call life in this world we call Earth...

May we each take some time to reflect on our uniqueness & use whatever 'putty' or filler we need to, but underneath all the trim & adornments that we all have, our underlying health makes it all worth living...Make the most of your time!!!

PATRICKKATIE
Hey Funninfit, you have written well here girl. I really like all the analogies. Have you though about submitting this as an article to either Good Housekeeping or Redbook? Seriously, you should check it out!!Great job!Molly2300 days ago

SUSIEGKORN
What a refreshing blog, Dee! Nice parallels! Glad you got so much accomplished in just your first week! Karen and I missed you at the pool today! We had a great workout and look forward to you joining us! She's leaving for Table Rock Lake in the morning and will be gone a week. I'll meet you next Thurs. if you're available!